IACUC Application, Protocol Assistance, & Compliance

IACUC Application Development:

The PRU can assist with the creation of novel and continuing IACUC Animal Use Applications (protocols) through online completion of surgical, technical and monitoring sections in ACAP. Utilizing the PRU for initial protocol creation helps ensure all procedures and monitoring are compliant with PRU standard operating procedures. We commonly assist with creation of the following sections of the application:

• 1.3     Core facility services summarized
• 5.0.3  All experimental information
• 5.2     Non-survival surgery
• 5.3     Survival surgical section including all anesthetics & analgesics
• 5.8     Tissue Collection
• 5.9     Blood or body fluid collection
• 6.0     Identification methods utilized
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Compliance:

Maintaining compliance with an approved IACUC application is vital to ensure proper animal welfare and reproducible data.  All procedures and surgeries must be clearly and appropriately described within the application to ensure that all lab members and Cores providing services are maintaining compliance.

Common areas of non-compliance are often a result of deviations from procedure or surgery descriptions, and improper monitoring and drug logs. The PRU provides skilled technicians and strict SOPs to help ensure compliance is maintained for all procedures. All monitoring parameters and drug logs are thoroughly documented by the ASC which removes this responsibility from the lab. We also routinely review older protocols to ensure compliance through the 3-year approval period.